BSA, FICCI to strengthen efforts against piracy

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and BSA (the Software Alliance) have today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on creating awareness amongst enterprises on the risks of (Intellectual Property) IP rights infringement besides building capacities for law enforcement agencies.

FICCI and BSA will partner to run a three-year long campaign in different states and conduct a series of activities that aim to create a favorable environment for IP protection in the country, thereby helping to reduce the piracy rate. As a first phase of the partnership, the campaign will be rolled out in Gujarat and Rajasthan with capacity building workshops for the law enforcement agencies such as police and customs to equip them to handle IP rights infringement issues.

The federation will also organize awareness building programs for the industry, particularly MSMEs on the risks and business costs associated with using pirated software and on the importance of software asset management.

BSA Global Software Piracy Study 2011 revealed that piracy in software has caused a loss of US$866 million to the Government of India.

BSA India director Yolynd Lobo said that protection of intellectual property rights is a crucial aspect that would drive software innovation in India. "The government of India has already taken steps to foster this culture of innovation and we believe efforts like these will add further momentum. State governments are realizing that creating this eco-system that nurtures innovation will augment their investment potential," she added.

FICCI's deputy secretary general Jyoti Vij said that as a representative of the Indian industry, FICCI was interested in supporting and encouraging innovation for the benefit of their members. "We play a leading role in acknowledging the need to protect Intellectual property. With this campaign, we intend to create awareness of this important national issue among all sections of society, including policy makers, legislators, and the Indian public at large." said Vij.